How a UNG tradition will help students facing food insecurity

Rachel Estes, The Times, Gainesville, Ga.
·2 min read

Oct. 18—An annual event of "intentional seasonal cheer" is slated to return to the University of North Georgia Gainesville campus in time for the holiday season.

The 8th annual Helpful Harvest Auction is slated for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18 in the Ralph and Mary Cleveland Ballroom inside the Martha T. Nesbitt Academic Building.

Helpful Harvest Auction

What: A luncheon and fundraiser benefiting the UNG-Gainesville food pantry

When: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 18

Where: UNG-Gainesville Martha T. Nesbitt Academic Building, Mathis Drive, Oakwood

How much: $15

Tickets and info: 678-717-2285 or kristie.kiser@ung.edu

The ticketed luncheon — catered by the campus' resident caterer All Catered Events — and auction benefits the campus' food pantry.

UNG is "conscious of obstacles to our students' graduation," said student success coordinator Kristie Kiser, "and for a lot of our students, it is just having basic needs met."

Among the pantry's most frequent asks are for ready-to-eat snacks like peanut butter crackers, jerky and other protein-packed items with a long shelf life, as many students who visit the pantry may not have a way to store or prepare perishable foods.

Travel-sized personal hygiene items are also a staple commodity.

"(Those items) help students that are potentially 'sofa surfing,' as we say, or staying in their car temporarily or moving about to be able to have a small personal kit without having to lug around full-size bottles of shampoos and conditioners," Kiser said.

Since, by default, food pantries have minimal control over which items they receive and how often, the auction is aimed to arm UNG's with the cash to ensure these mainstays are always on hand.

Tickets to the Helpful Harvest Auction are available for $15 through Oct. 31.

Attendees can contact Kiser at 678-717-2285 or kristie.kiser@ung.edu to secure their tickets.

Space is limited, Kiser noted, as the event has allotted seating for 100 guests.

Businesses, restaurants and other organizations interested in donating items or gift certificates to the auction are encouraged to contact Kiser by Nov. 10.

Proceeds from the event also provide scholarship for staff members furthering their education.

As most staff members don't typically qualify for financial aid, those who have successfully completed one semester of schooling are eligible for up to $100 in scholarship funding to offset the cost of their books, according to Kiser.

While the Helpful Harvest Auction was inaugurated in 2014, UNG's archives indicate similar events have been held on the campus long before its 2013 consolidation with North Georgia College, tracing back as far back as the early 1980s, possibly even the 1960s.

For more information on the Helpful Harvest Auction, visit http://bitly.ws/vynr.